


Space Prince Hair Maintenance is Murder

by FelicityGS



Series: Space Princes of the Galaxy [7]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Thor (Movies)
Genre: A little anyway, Blood, Gen, Gore, Hair, Jotun Loki, Jotunn | Frost Giant, jotun are so emotional in the best way possible, more jotun headcanons, peter is always freaked out by how not normal loki can be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-24
Updated: 2014-08-24
Packaged: 2018-02-14 04:23:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2177745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelicityGS/pseuds/FelicityGS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki's hair is one of Peter's favourite things about him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Space Prince Hair Maintenance is Murder

**Author's Note:**

> yeah, peter's heard the word ammul before. then he _totally forgot about it_.
> 
> to be fair, loki _never_ brings it up again and he understates what it means emotionally.
> 
> also, [SeraphimXII](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SeraphimXII/pseuds/SeraphimXII) asked for peter getting loki things for his hair; i'd already written this at the time, so i do hope this fits what you had in mind~

Loki has the prettiest hair of anyone Peter's ever seen. Which, okay, that's not a _lot_ of people, but he likes to think it's more than most nine year olds because he travels around with _almost_ space pirates. It goes to Loki's waist and it's black and shiny and when it's unbraided it's a little wavy. Peter likes it a lot, really, though he doesn't tell Loki that where anyone else can hear because he doesn't think future space pirates should say that sort of thing to other future space pirates.

Peter's favourite thing is when Loki has it braided, though. When it's down, it means Loki's washing and brushing it, which always puts Loki in a sour mood. But when it's up, it's so much _easier_ to figure out what Loki's feeling--Loki handles it all the time, for all _kinds_ of reasons. When it's done up, there's always little gems and chains threaded through it, and some of the gems change colour with Loki's mood and some change colour with the temperature and Peter is never sure which, but it's _really_ _cool_.

He doesn't want hair like Loki's, but he's glad Loki has it.

***

"How come you have hair but other frost giants don't?" Peter asks when he's ten and a half. It's safer to ask, then, because they've nearly known each over two years.

Loki's sucking idly on the end of his braid, which is kind of gross, but it means he's relaxed. They're laying on their backs in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Magic," Loki finally says. He hums, so he's not done talking yet; Peter waits. "Jotun like me, that do magic, we're smaller and we have hair. Because of the magic. I don't really know why else. It's why I'm always hungry too."

Peter thinks about that. He supposes that's as good a reason as any to have hair and be small when the rest of the race is giant and hairless.

"I think it's so we can have magic gems." Peter turns his head to find Loki frowning at the ceiling. "Somewhere to put them. And... other stuff, too."

"Huh. Like?"

Loki shrugs. Peter thinks about it for a second, then shrugs too. It doesn't really seem that important

***

Peter starts finding beads and gems for Loki thread through his hair. Loki always lights up when Peter brings him something new; Peter likes seeing if he can recognize any that Loki chooses to weave in his hair.

It doesn't _mean_ anything or anything.

***

Peter doesn't know why Yondu was yelling at Loki or threatening him or even what Loki had done that was so bad. He just knows Loki's upset and panic crying and he doesn't know what to _do_. But he remembers how his mom would rub her fingers against his scalp when he was upset, so he just wraps an arm around Loki and pulls him close and does what his mom would do.

Loki freezes against him other than his breath still hitching against his neck.

Peter pauses for a second.

"Is this bad?" he asks.

Loki shakes his head, relaxing into him. Peter keeps going, and a little later sets it up so they can listen to his walkman together.

***

After that, Peter finds himself touching Loki's hair all the time. Grabbing the end of his braid when he starts to walk past and he misses his wrist, rubbing his fingers in Loki's scalp, helping Loki brush it (and boy, does Loki suddenly not hate brushing and washing his hair anymore). Just touching it.

He likes that, too. Loki's hair is thick and feels smooth against his hands the way most things _don't_ on with the Ravagers. They aren't really smooth or soft people, but Loki's hair is.

Peter tends to ignore the weird feeling in his chest at the way Loki relaxes when Peter handles Loki's hair, how red eyes half-close and a soft hum escapes Loki's throat.

It's just _hair_ and it's just Loki. There's nothing _weird_ about that.

***

Peter's thirteen the first time he ever sees anyone else grab Loki's hair. It's Peter's birthday and they're laughing as they walked down the hall, planning what they'll do for his birthday the next time they dock.

They've just climbed onto the deck and Londa is walking by--Krylorian, older. Peter doesn't like him, doesn't like the way he looks at Loki, all the excuses he finds to bump into the frost giant, but Loki's always said to ignore him so he mostly does. Londa is walking past Loki, not Peter, so Peter sees the pink hand that tugs on Loki's braid just as he's passing by.

Peter doesn't have time to react. One moment, Londa is laughing and someone else is wolf-whistling, the next there's utter silence on the deck and Loki's letting Londa's corpse drop at his feet. There's a gaping hole in the back of Londa's clothes, burned away by ice that's beginning to melt, ice burst out of his back stained red.

No--that's just Yonda's blood, frozen and chasing after Loki's touch.

Loki surveys the rest of the deck, pausing to look at Yondu directly before he speaks.

"He touched my hair," Loki says flatly.

Peter is _certain_ Yondu is going to start yelling, that Loki's just made sure he's going to get _killed_. It's not that he's not seen people die before, it's that _no one_ kills Yondu's crew without Yondu returning the favour, and Yondu has _never_ liked Loki--

Yondu shrugs.

"I told you idiots not to touch his hair," Yondu says. "Someone clean that up."

And that's it. Just like that. Loki toes Londa's corpse aside and starts walking again, pausing to wait on Peter to follow, like _nothing happened_.

" _What the hell was that_?" Peter demands, grabbing Loki by the arm and yanking him aside.

Loki blinks at Peter.

"He touched my hair."

" _I_ touch your hair, are you going to kill me?"

"No?" Loki blinks at Peter. "You are... you." It's a bit of a lame finish, and Loki's face falls like he realizes that.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean? Are you going to kill everyone who touches your hair? You can't _do_ that. Do you have _any idea_ how badly that could have gone?"

"I--" Loki pauses, studying Peter's face. Peter makes himself take a breath, because, no, Loki really doesn't get it, Peter's best friend and partner in crime thinks that it's _totally_ okay to kill people for touching his hair. "My hair--"

Peter nods, because Loki sounds hesitant and embarrassed and that means he's going to try to explain.

"It's mine. Frost giants... do not have it, not many. It is... not sacred, but like that." He makes a frustrated noise. "There is no word for it except in Jotnar."

"Okay. But it's important."

Loki nods.

"Exceptionally. It is prof--It is _wrong_ for someone to touch my hair that is not me. Yondu knows that. He's told the crew before. It's why he did not retaliate."

"You let me touch your hair."

"You are... different. Ammul. It means important. Like... best friends."

"Okay." Peter sighs. He's pretty sure that Loki's lying about what ammul means, but whatever, Jotnar is full of words that don't translate and Loki _usually_ gets them pretty close. Best friends is how he feels about Loki, too. Mostly. "Okay. But can you... try not to kill anyone else for grabbing your hair? Please?"

Loki looks dubious, but he nods.

"Thanks."

"I understand if you wish to not be near me," Loki says formally.

"Huh? What? No. _No._ It's-- _not_ fine, but it's a thing." Peter grins at him, risks rubbing sliding a hand to Loki's neck and rubbing his hair line at his neck. Loki startles, but then he grins, and there's not even the vaguest hint of murder to him. Loki, at least, isn't lying about this. "I just didn't realize it was that big a deal. Come on, let's go."

Loki smiles, but he doesn't relax until they're alone again. Peter stares at the ceiling as he runs his fingers through still drying hair, wondering how the _hell_ he's managed to survive this long.


End file.
